Mayoral hopefuls were
ready for The Question

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

Moderator Don Brennan started last week’s mayoral forum with a simple question.
Brennan, a Philadelphia Regional Port Authority official and former editor of the News Gleaner, recalled a 60 Minutes correspondent asking Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy during the 1980 campaign why he wanted to be president.
Kennedy’s rambling non-answer effectively ended any chance he had of wresting the nomination from President Jimmy Carter, a fellow Democrat.
Well, Democratic mayoral candidate Michael Nutter and Republican nominee Al Taubenberger have attended so many forums this year that they’ve mastered the answer to that question.
Both candidates cited the same three issues: crime, education and jobs.
Nutter, a 50-year-old from Wynnefield, wants to continue the work he did in 15 years on City Council.
"I have a personal passion for public service," he said.
Taubenberger, a 54-year-old Fox Chase resident, is a lifelong Philadelphian who loves the city and wants to use the skills he’s gained as president of the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce to bring improvement to City Hall.
"I’m ready for the job," he said.
Nutter and Taubenberger appeared at Norcom Community Center at a forum sponsored by Special People In Northeast. They answered questions of interest to the disabled community, including ones about the long waiting list for mental retardation services and the high number of polling places that are not wheelchair accessible.
In addition, the two major-party candidates talked about issues of concern to the general public.
John Staggs, the Socialist Workers candidate in the Nov. 6 election, was not invited to participate in the forum but was allowed to speak afterward. He gained more than 4,000 signatures to win a place on the ballot.
Staggs, 60, works in a beef slaughterhouse in Souderton, Bucks County. He’s active in union organizing and opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and economic sanctions and military threats to Iran. He supports affirmative action, abortion, gay rights, permanent residency for illegal immigrants and freedom for the teenagers arrested in a widely publicized alleged beating in Jena, La.
"I think it’s time working people have a say in running the city," he said. "Both (other) candidates are just big business, especially Michael Nutter."
Staggs vociferously opposes Nutter’s "stop-and-frisk" proposal to secure illegal guns from people. He thinks the policy would empower the police, whom he says are "the ones who are out of control."
Nutter, who believes Philadelphia has a "crime emergency," has started calling his proposal "stop, think and don’t carry." He wants to target the dozen or so areas in the city with the highest crime rates to seize illegal guns.
"If you have one, we’re coming to get it," he said. "If you don’t, you have nothing to worry about."
The Democrat is also proposing tax incentives to businesses that hire individuals being released from prison, arguing that an ex-con without a job will go back to a life of crime.
"We must address the ex-offender problem," he said.
Taubenberger would want to do community outreach before implementing a stop-and-frisk policy. He’d rather talk about his support for a bill in the state legislature that would require prisoners to sign a waiver as a condition of release that would subject them to random searches by police. The Republican believes there are two prime ways to lower crime: hiring more police officers and adding private-sector jobs.
"It’s a great combination," he said.
The two major-party candidates both promised to continue business-tax cuts, with Nutter cautioning that the city has to negotiate four municipal union contracts by next June 30, fully fund its pension program and build up its infrastructure.
"We have some serious financial challenges ahead of us," he said.
Taubenberger, vice chairman of the Tax Reform Commission, likened himself to former Presidents Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy when it comes to cutting taxes. He suggested a tax abatement program for businesses that open in the city.
"We need jobs," he said.
Nutter and Taubenberger both described themselves as the candidate of change and the best one to end municipal corruption. They vowed to lobby for Philadelphia’s interests in Harrisburg and better fund the city’s park system.
Taubenberger thinks the city budget can grow by adding jobs. He’d use some of the new revenue to add police foot patrols and surveillance cameras as part of his anti-crime policies.
Nutter said he took a risk by resigning his Council seat to run for mayor. He was last in the polls but always knew he could win in a crowded primary when voters learned of his track record and his calls for government reform and integrity.
"We can turn this city around," he said. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com